Soccer is a very well known sport. It is usually played in the winter season. There are 11 players in a team including the goalie who is allowed to use his hands to defend his team's goal. The aim of the game is to score goals and to stop the other team from scoring goals.

Ball games such as soccer originated in China. In the early days there were around one hundred people in a soccer team and the soccer balls were made of pig's bladder.

In the game you can have throw ins or goalies kicks. Unlike football or rugby soccer is played with a round ball. Two linesmen patrol the sides of the pitch assisting the referee. They use flags to signal when the ball goes out of play or when players break the rules.

Soccer consists of two half's with a break in the middle each half is 45 minutes long. Some of the more important competitions are the World Cup the Euro 2000 and the FA Cup. New Zealand's national team is called the All Whites.